[Red Liner]

A person very dear to me is looking to upgrade from a Scorpio to something a couple of segments higher. Preferably a Merc/VW/Bimmer/Audi class of vehicle. But she wants it to be a diesel since it will be used for fairly long drives around the country. ALL seat comfort is a big must.

The budget is between 20-25L and she was keen on a new Fortuner, but I just wanted her to check what other used SUV upgrades are available in that range. Any examples, anyone?

Buyer's in Bangalore/Chennai mostly - so something from either these two places would be great. I know the prices fluctuate city-to-city, so I thought I should be specific.

[absynthguzzler]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

A person very dear to me is looking to upgrade from a Scorpio to something a couple of segments higher. Preferably a Merc/VW/Bimmer/Audi class of vehicle. But she wants it to be a diesel since it will be used for fairly long drives around the country. ALL seat comfort is a big must.

The budget is between 20-25L and she was keen on a new Fortuner, but I just wanted her to check what other used SUV upgrades are available in that range. Any examples, anyone?

Buyer's in Bangalore/Chennai mostly - so something from either these two places would be great. I know the prices fluctuate city-to-city, so I thought I should be specific.

If your looking at only SUV vehicles as an upgrade option from the premium marquees, then i think it would be slightly difficult. The options available are only X5, Q7, ML and Touareg. I highly doubt that their market values have dropped to the 20-25lac bracket.

As a gauge to your options, Hyd has been a major market for the Q7s and the average price of 2 yr models are hovering around the 35lac mark. The X5 has not been as popular as the Audis and not many available in the 2nd hand market in south i reckon...Touareg the same. The ML is just insanely priced. If you're looking for SUV exclusively, it would be my suggestion to scan the whole of India for great deals. The savings on the purchase price at northern states could offset payment of KA/TN taxes in some cases.

Edit: If you plan to use the car to drive across the country, then nothing beats the Fortuner for reliability and ease of service backup. It is highly priced and doesnt feel like a VFM product until you actually own one . The other vehicle I'd definitely recommend is the Santa-Fe to offer the same levels of comfort and peace of mind. Forget the premium brand image,stick to " peace of mind"if your venturing out of the metros!.

[Xehaust]

The Skoda Yeti would be a perfect fit here (Ducks for cover). Comfortable, luxurious interiors & excellent touring capability. Before anyone points out, yes, i have gone through the Skoda thread & know all about it. Just that this particular product fits the bill. Further, it would come under 20 Lks brand new, is diesel & also has a 4 year Skoda Warranty.

Now, that being said, i completely agree with absynth. Since she will be venturing out of the metros, you can forget about any other positive apart from "Peace of mind".
And both, Hyundai & Toyota, have that covered with the overall reliability of their vehicles as well as number of service centres wherein Hyundai reigns supreme after Maruti.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by absynthguzzler

If your looking at only SUV vehicles as an upgrade option from the premium marquees, then i think it would be slightly difficult. The options available are only X5, Q7, ML and Touareg. I highly doubt that their market values have dropped to the 20-25lac bracket.

As a gauge to your options, Hyd has been a major market for the Q7s and the average price of 2 yr models are hovering around the 35lac mark. The X5 has not been as popular as the Audis and not many available in the 2nd hand market in south i reckon...Touareg the same. The ML is just insanely priced. If you're looking for SUV exclusively, it would be my suggestion to scan the whole of India for great deals. The savings on the purchase price at northern states could offset payment of KA/TN taxes in some cases.

Edit: If you plan to use the car to drive across the country, then nothing beats the Fortuner for reliability and ease of service backup. It is highly priced and doesnt feel like a VFM product until you actually own one . The other vehicle I'd definitely recommend is the Santa-Fe to offer the same levels of comfort and peace of mind. Forget the premium brand image,stick to " peace of mind"if your venturing out of the metros!.

The only issue here is spending upwards of 20 big L's and you still dont get a luxury marque. I still consider the Fortuner a people mover and nothing more. It is *not* a luxurious vehicle. Its just got a strong reliable brand name to back it up. Another thing I need to mention is, I dont think there will be too many miles munched in a year on this car as it will primarily be driven out of town - not many city trips - so I reckon it will do about 10,000 kms a year (a 1000km trip every month or so).

Originally Posted by Xehaust

The Skoda Yeti would be a perfect fit here (Ducks for cover).

Skoda is an absolute no-no. Its neither a luxury marque, and nor does it offer Toyota's reliability. Its the bottom of my scale, really.

Originally Posted by Xehaust

Now, that being said, i completely agree with absynth. Since she will be venturing out of the metros, you can forget about any other positive apart from "Peace of mind".
And both, Hyundai & Toyota, have that covered with the overall reliability of their vehicles as well as number of service centres wherein Hyundai reigns supreme after Maruti.

The highway trips will not be often. They will be occasional - but have to be super comfortable for everyone in it. Thats why I suggested opting for a big brand.

But if the miles munched are going to be less, am wondering if it makes sense to get a petrol :-)

[D.V.R]

The Montero should be available in your budget...which is quite a capable machine.Even the petrol Prado could be available.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by D.V.R

The Montero should be available in your budget...which is quite a capable machine.Even the petrol Prado could be available.

Yeah, tryin to keep an eye out in the market and get a feel of the prices and corresponding miles on the odo...am definitely looking for something within the past 2 years so the warranty cover stays on.

[manolin]

@Greeksrik - please update your thoughts. I am exactly at the stage of a casual buyer right now. Though I am not new to used cars having bought a Zen from Truevalue 2 years back. The car proved to be excellent but not due to any pre-checks by me- I had pretty much decided on the car after seeing the spoiler and alloy wheels.

[kalpeshc]

Got myself a pre-owned i20 Sportz P (O). It's Jun 2010 registered (so probably Apr 2010 mfg) and I got it for 5L as it had run just 2300 kms. Does it makes sense to get extended warranty for this? The car has sun film and car seats done as extra.

[sumeethaldankar]

I have a 97 800 run just ~ 35300 kms.I cant expect much resale value from a 14 year car.How can a lateral upgrade be of benefit to a person like me who holds on to their car for longer durations ? Wouldn't it be advisable to buy brand new and then keep it for 10 years or so.Is it that lateral upgraded benefit onlt those who want to keep changing their cars every 5 years or so ?

[Gansan]

^^ Correct. For you I would suggest to keep the car till it is time for FC renewal, sell it for whatever it will fetch and but a new car.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

A person very dear to me is looking to upgrade from a Scorpio to something a couple of segments higher. Preferably a Merc/VW/Bimmer/Audi class of vehicle. But she wants it to be a diesel since it will be used for fairly long drives around the country. ALL seat comfort is a big must.

The budget is between 20-25L and she was keen on a new Fortuner, but I just wanted her to check what other used SUV upgrades are available in that range. Any examples, anyone?

Buyer's in Bangalore/Chennai mostly - so something from either these two places would be great. I know the prices fluctuate city-to-city, so I thought I should be specific.

Okay, the budget's been upped to 30L now and the person in question is looking at the Merc C 250D. Any lateral upgrade you guys suggest? The lady is going to be chauffeured, wants absolute comfort in the front seat (if her son is driving her) and in the rear if she gets a driver.

[saketa]

While lateral upgrades do make a lot of sense for people who want to change their current set of wheels, i do think that while lateral upgrades upto the D segment are more or less linear, the jump from there to say a 3 series needs a lot of thought. I could be wrong here but the sheer jump in the cost of owning any car beyond the D segment could be a factor which you must take into account. While a honda city to cruze jump might not cost that much more in the long term, a skoda superb to 3 series is just a different cup of tea altogether.
I've been the same dilemma for a quite a while now because i currently own a 06 accord which has done about 75000 kms and i keep changing my mind on whether it is worth selling the car for 5-6 lakhs and spending another 13-14 on buying a used A4 or 525i....But then again i can be very indecisive as i have been thinking about this particular lateral upgrade for more than a few months now

[Red Liner]

Yes Saketa. I am actually going to tabulate a cost of ownership over 3-5 years for some of these cars before advising a purchase decision. Unfortunately apart from GTO, not many others have put up a detailed cost of ownership of their 25L plus cars (cant blame them, since I dont think anyone here has owned one of these for this long a period).

[sridhar-v]

HI GTO!

Ur theory of lateral upgrades makes a lot of sense.

I am planning to go in for a SUV - shortlisted are Maruti GV, Mitsubishi Outlander & Honda CRV(2007). Vehicles will be used for long drives in remote places so I am looking at vehicles max 3-4 years old & 40,000 kms running.Time frame is about 8-10 months from now.

I talked to a couple of dealers to whom we have sold our previous cars. All of them claim that they check the vehicle history, service record & check with RTO whether any police cases are registered etc.

When I ask them for proof that there are no RTO claims they say they have done the checks but cannot give any proof. Nor are they willing to disclose the original owner's name. I also know that when they bought our cars they did not ask for any service records & looked at the car documents only after the deal was struck.

I am quite confident of assesing the mechanical condition of any car, but am worried about the RTO & related Insurance & Ownership points. What is the correct procedure to tackle this?

regards

Sridhar V

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

HI GTO!

Ur theory of lateral upgrades makes a lot of sense.

I am planning to go in for a SUV - shortlisted are Maruti GV, Mitsubishi Outlander & Honda CRV(2007). Vehicles will be used for long drives in remote places so I am looking at vehicles max 3-4 years old & 40,000 kms running.Time frame is about 8-10 months from now.

I talked to a couple of dealers to whom we have sold our previous cars. All of them claim that they check the vehicle history, service record & check with RTO whether any police cases are registered etc.

When I ask them for proof that there are no RTO claims they say they have done the checks but cannot give any proof. Nor are they willing to disclose the original owner's name. I also know that when they bought our cars they did not ask for any service records & looked at the car documents only after the deal was struck.

I am quite confident of assesing the mechanical condition of any car, but am worried about the RTO & related Insurance & Ownership points. What is the correct procedure to tackle this?

regards

Sridhar V

Visit the RTO, and Insurance offices yourself and get the information on the car.